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Abstract
With the development of online music distribution, a number of authors argued that independent musicians could compete on equal ground with major record labels. In this article, I explore the effects that online distribution has had on distributing music to consumers. This essay argues that, through the development of iTunes, the major record labels have maintained the same advantages that they held through physical media distribution networks.
Notes
[1] It may seem odd that it costs money to sell albums at stores, but store managers are not willing to place every album ever recorded on their shelves. With limited shelf space, managers want to make sure that the music that they have at their stores sells, which is typically related to the amount of marketing that an album receives.
[2] The Pew Research Center's Pew Internet & American Life Project surveyed p2p users' practices following the RIAA's lawsuits against individuals. They found that users showed a dramatic decline in file sharing (i.e. uploading their music library) following these lawsuits (CitationMadden and Lenhart).
[3] As of 20 November 2010, iTunes had more than 13 million songs available in its catalog (“Bits & Briefs,” Citation2010).
[4] According to the Pew Internet & American Life Project a precipitous decline of file sharing occurred between June 2003 (when the RIAA announced its plans to file lawsuits against file-sharers) and November 2003 (CitationMadden and Lenhart). While file sharing has periodically risen and fallen since that time, the Pew tracking data over time demonstrate that fewer people file share as a result of the RIAA's campaign.
[5] Artists are signed and given an advance to record an album that must be repaid through sales. This offloads risk onto the artists themselves. Furthermore, artists do not receive revenue from sales until all advanced funds are recouped.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
David Arditi
David Arditi is Assistant Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington. He is currently working on a manuscript entitled iTake-Over: The Music Industry in the Digital Era. His research explores the relationship between music and technology and the way that relationship affects music and society.